Support structure for cleaning machine shells



Nov. 10, 1959 M. HUTTERER SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR CLEANING MACHINE SHELLSFiled March 9, 1955 IVNVENTOR. MART/Al HU/TEHER BY 2% M C ATTOR/VL-"YUnited States Patent SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR CLEANING MACHINE SHELLSMartin Hutterer, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor to Cummings- Landau LaundryMachinery Company, Inc, Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication March 9, 1955, Serial No. 493,121

3 Claims. (Cl. 248 -13) This invention relates to cleaning machines andmore particularly to improvements in the structure of the support forthe shells of cleaning machines.

In cleaning machines it is desirable to provide a support structure forthe shell thereof to support the same on the ground or floor or otherplatform. Inasmuch as the shell houses the rotating cleaning cylinderand the cleaning fluids it is desirable to support the same in a mannerto reduce its vibrations as much as possible. Attempts have been made inan effort to solve the prob lem by providing the shell support structurewith series of legs not only at the ends of the support structure, butalso at spaced points intermediate the ends. However, instead ofeliminating the problem the intermediate legs only seemed to magnify thevibrations. In fact, after prolonged periods of operation there havebeen instances in which the shell has been ruptured about the areawherein the intermediate legs support the same.

The instant invention proposes a shell supporting structure wherein theusual intermediate supporting legs are eliminated. However, the cleaningmachine shell will continue to be securely supported on either the flooror the ground, or some other platform in a manner to reduce thevibrations thereof without any reduction in its support thereof.

Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide ,out the cut away17 to define continuous legs extend-- a support structure for cleaningmachine shells which will eliminate the need for intermediate legsupports Accordingly, a feature of the invention resides in theprovision of a cleaning machine support structure in which the areaunder the shell and between the ends of its supports is free from andunencumbered by support structure, thereby providing a support having alarge space siutable for storage, creating an attractive appearance.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning machine shellsupport structure which will support the shell in a novel cradle-likemanner intermediate the ends thereof.

A further object of the invention is the provision of support meansadapted to support the shell intermediate its ends and intermediate theends of the support whereby the vibrations of the shell will be absorbedby the support structure as a whole.

Still a further object is the provision of a support structure of sturdyall welded construction, easily fabricated and conspicuous by theabsence of precision parts and features normally present in priorstructures.

Other and further objects of my invention reside in the structures andarrangements hereinafter more fully described with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which: I

Fig. l is a front perspective view of the novel cleaning machine shellsupport structure constructed in accordance with the principles of theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 taken along lines 22 thereof.

7 27 provided in the end support members 12 and 14 re.- spectively, orit may merely be welded along. the cornerportion of each of the endmembers 12 and 14V to be se- Fig. 3 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 takenalong lines adapted to cradle and support the cleaning machine shell(not shown), comprises a pair of spaced end support members 12 and 14.Inasmuch as the cleaning machine.

shell which is to be supported in and secured to the sup port structure10 does not form any part of the instant.

invention, the same has been omitted from the drawings;

The end support members 12 and 14 have lower portions thereof generallyidentified by the numerals 16' which may be said to define legs for thesupport structure 10. As best'seen in Fig. 1, the leg defining means16on the end members 12 and 14 respectively, are shown placed from eachother by an arcuate cutaway portion17. However, it will be understoodthat the leg defining means 16 on each of the end members 12 and 14 neednot be divided or spaced to form a plurality'o f legs; on each of theend members. The lower edges oneach of the support members 12 and 14 maybe formed withing the width of each of the support members.

The support structure 10 being of a rugged, all welded construction,includes a cross member construction (not numbered) interconnecting theend support members 12 and 14. The cross member construction comprisesrail members 18, 20 and 22 which are welded to the end members 12 and1:4 to secure the same in their spaced rela tionshsip and to retain thesame in their upright positions. The lower side rails 18 and 23 includedin the cross member construction are substantially channelshaped andhave surfaces 24 and26 each adapted to support and be secured with thecleaning machine shell throughout the length of the front and rear sidesrespectively thereof. when the latter is placed in the structure 10.

The top rail 22 included in the cross member construction, includes asurface 28 which is also adapted to sup.- port and, be secured with thecleaning machine shell at the top portion thereof and throughoutdesired. portions of its length. The top rail 22 may be set into notchescured to the same and'to interconnect the same at the tops thereof intheir spaced relationship.

Similarly, the front side rail 18 may be welded to the.

front portions of the end members 12 and 14 to interconnect the samealong the front portions thereof while the rear side rail 20 may bewelded at its ends to the members 12 and 14 respectively to interconnectthe same along the rear lower portions thereof. It will be notedthat'the manner of interconnecting the end support members 12 and Whythe cross member construction comprising. the side rails 18' and 20, andthe top rail 22, provides a sturdy unitary welded construction in which"all of the above mentioned members are made integral.

In Fig. 1, it will be noted that the end members 12 and 14 each includea cradling shell support member 30. The shell support members 30 may bemounted on their respective end members 12 and 14 as by welding, and

are shaped to conform substantially with the shape of the-underside endportions of the cleaning machine shell which is. to be supported andsecured with the support structure 10. Thus, when the cleaning machineshell (not shown) is mounted in the support it), it will be cradled atthe end portions thereof, in the cradle-like conforming shell supports30.

In order to properly eliminate the intermediate leg 7 supports presentin hitherto known support structuresfor cleaning machine shells, meanshave been provided to take the place of such intermediate legs. In thepresent Patented Nov. 10, 1 959 3 invention, bands 32 are providedintermediate the end supports 12 and 14 and are secured to and supportedby the side rails 18 and 20 of the cross member construction. The bands32 include surfaces. 34 which have substantially the same configurationas the corresponding portion of the bottom of the cleaning machine shellwhich is to be supported in the structure 10. The conformingconfiguration of the bands 34 will provide a cradling means forsupporting, in suspension, the intermediate portions of the shell. Itwill be noted that the intermediate support means 32 are suspended fromthe spaced front and rear side rails 18 and 20 so that when the cleaningmachine shell is mounted in the support structure and secured, as bywelding, to the support means 32, all vibrations received by theintermediate support means 32 will be absorbed and transmitted to theside rails of the cross member construction and thence to the remainingsupport structure 10.

Although two intermediate support bands 32 are shown in Fig. 1, it willbe obvious that the number of these bands may vary, depending upon thelength of the ilganing machine shell to be supported in thestructure Abrace construction comprising lower braces 36, platforms 38 and upperbraces 40 add to the attractive appearance of the support 10 and at thesame time provide for greater rigidity of the cleaning machine shellsupport structure. The lower braces 36 are welded to the under sides ofthe side rails 18 and 20 to brace the same against the end supportmembers 12 and 14 and to provide a larger supporting base for thestructure 10. The larger supporting base is increased by the addition ofthe platforms 38 to the under side of the leg defining portions 16 ofthe end members 12 and 14 and to the under side of the lower members 36.

Understandably, the platforms 38 will provide a broader base for the legdefining portions of the end members 12 and 14 when the structure 10 ismounted on either the ground, the floor, or some other suitableplatform. The upper braces 40 are positioned between and secured to thetop rail 22, the rear side 'rail 20 and the end support members 12 and14. The upper braces 40 are not only attractive in appearance and permitaccess to the back portion of the cleaning machine shell when the sameis supported in the structure 10, but they also cooperate with the rearside rail 20 and the lower rear braces 36 to provide a straight linesupport from the top rail 22 to the platforms 38.

Referring now to Fig. 2 it will be noted that the intermediatesupporting bands 32 are hooked at their forward ends over the topportion of the front rail 18 of the cross member construction. Althoughthe welding is not shown in Fig. 2, it will be understood that in viewof the fact that each of the parts of the support structure 10 isconnected with the other by some suitable means, such for example, aswelding, the hooked portion of the band 32 may be further secured to thefront rail 18 by welding.

In Fig. 2 it will be seen that the band 32 extends over the readingsupport surface 24 of the rail 18, whereas, adverting to Fig. 3, it willbe noted that the band 32 is set within a cutout portion (not numbered)provided in the shell supporting surface 26 of the rear rail 20. Theconstruction shown in Figs. 2 and 3 may be varied. Thus, for example,the band 32 may be secured to either the front rail 18 or the rear rail20 without providing cutouts to receive the band within the rails asshown in Fig. 3, or they may be secured to the rails 18 and 20 by beingreceived in cutouts as shown in Fig. '3. The choice of either one ofthese constructions does not detract from the essence of the inventionsince, when the cleaning machine shell is cradled in and supported bythe support structure 10, it may be welded along selected portionsthereof which contact the surfaces 24, 26, 28

30 and 34 to be integrally secured therewith and to be retained securelyin the support structure 10. As a result of the shell being integrallysecured with the support 10 along portions of contacting, supporting andcradling surfaces, its vibrations and motions will be absorbed at thesevarious secured portions and transmitted to and to be absorbed by thesupport structure 10 as a whole.

An important feature of the invention resides in the fact that thesupport structure 10 need not be made with any great degree ofprecision, and in face, the benefit of the above disclosed constructionaccrues from the fact that the same may be constructed only to theapproximate dimensions of the cleaning machine shell which is to besupported therein and secured thereto.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out thefundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferredembodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions andsubstitutions and changes in the form and details of the deviceillustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in theart, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is theintention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope ofthe claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A vibration dampening article suspension support structure comprisingopposed longitudinally spaced end members, a cradle suspension having anarticle receiving opening defined therein and including a plurality ofarticle conforming cradle members one on each of said end members and atleast one intermediate said end members, supporting cross membersincluding front, rear and top rails, each of said rails securing saidend members longitudinally spaced from each other, said rails eachhaving longitudinally extending supporting surfaces defining a threesurface article support to transmit forces received thereby to said endmembers and cooperating with said end members to define said articlereceiving opening in the top and front of said suspension, and saidarticle cradling member intermediate said end members being supportedfrom and suspended in article supporting position between said front andrear rails to transmit forces received thereby to said front and rearrails.

2. A vibration dampening article suspension support structure comprisinglongitudinally spaced end members, front and rear rails secured to saidend members at the lower portions thereof to retain the same in theirspaced relation, a top rail securing the top rear of said members inspaced relation, said front and rear rails each having a longitudinallyextending supporting surface, said rails and end members defining anarticle receiving opening said surfaces defining a longitudinallyextending article support in said opening, a cradling member on each ofsaid end members and at least a cradling member supported on andsuspended between said front and rear rails intermediate said endmembers, said cradling members each shaped to conform to that of anarticle cradled therein.

3. A vibration dampening article suspension support structure comprisinga pair of planar upstanding end plate members, transversely spacedlongitudinally extending front and rear rails secured at their oppositeends to said end plate members to maintain the same in longitudinalspaced relation, said front and rear rails each having longitudinallyextending article support surfaces,

a top rail extending longitudinally between said spaced end platemembers and secured to thetops thereof to retain the same in spacedrelationship thereat, an article conforming cradle member one on each ofsaid plate members and projecting longitudinally toward each other, andat least one article conforming cradling member suspended between saidfront and rear rails intermediate the longitudinally spaced end platemembers and defining with said conforming cradle members on said platemembers a suspended cradle for an article, said longitudinally 5 6 3extending support surface on said rails serving to support 1,612,937Mitchell J an. 4, 1927 an article along the front and rear lengthsthereof. 1,732,829 Boardman Oct. 22, 1929 2,116,753 Dinetz May 10, 1938References Cited in the file of this patent 2,503,20 Nydegger Apr, 21,1950 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2,599,170 Franks June 3, 1952 200,586 ViselFeb. 19, 1878 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,077,748 Phillips Nov. 4, 1913 756,170France Sept. 18, 1933

